Soga Iruka Emishi

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Soga no Emishi 蘇我蝦夷 and Iruka 蘇我入鹿 と伝説 Legends
Soga no uji 蘇我氏 the Soga clan




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Soga no Emishi 蘇我蝦夷 (587 – July 11, 645)
was a statesman of the Yamato Imperial Court. His alternative names include Emishi (毛人) and Toyoura no Ōomi (豊浦大臣). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over Ōomi, the Minister of state, from his father.
According to the Nihonshoki,
from the end of the reign of Empress Suiko to that of Empress Kōgyoku, Emishi enjoyed influence in the court. After the death of Empress Suiko, Emishi succeeded in installing Prince Tamura on the throne as Emperor Jomei by citing the will of Empress Suiko. Although Prince Yamashiro was another candidate, Emishi murdered Sakaibe no Marise, his uncle who nominated Oe no Ou, paving the way for his favorite. After the discernment of Emperor Jomei, Emishi supported Empress Kōgyoku.
His daughter, Soga no Tetsuki no Iratsume, was a wife of Emperor Jomei and bore Emperor Jomei one daughter Princess Yata.
In 645, when his son Iruka was murdered in front of the Empress, Emishi committed suicide the next day.
- source : wikipedia -

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Soga no Iruka 蘇我入鹿 (? - July 10, 645)
was the son of Soga no Emishi a statesman in the Asuka Period of Japan.



He was assassinated at court in a coup d'état involving Nakatomi no Kamatari and Prince Naka-no-Ōe ("Isshi no hen" 乙巳の変; Murder in the Year of Isshi - Isshi Incident), who accused him of trying to murder Prince Yamashiro, a charge which Soga no Iruka denied.
Soga no Emishi also committed suicide soon after his son's death, and the main branch of the Soga clan became extinct. Prince Naka-no-Oe latter ascended the throne as Emperor Tenji, and Nakatomi no Kamatari was promoted and given the name Fujiwara no Kamatari.
- - - - - In 2005, the remains of a building which may have been Soga no Iruka's residence were discovered in Nara. This discovery appeared to be consistent with the description found in Nihon Shoki.
- source : wikipedia -

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Soga no Umako 蘇我馬子 (?551 - June 19, 626)
was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan.
In the late 6th century, Soga no Umako went to great lengths to promote Buddhism in Japan, and was instrumental in its acceptance.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Iruka Soga's kubizuka 首塚 Head Mound
Iruka Soga's Kubizuka, Asuka, Asuka Village. It is located on the edge of rice field, about 100 m west of Asukadera 飛鳥寺 Asuka-dera temple. It is the oldest one in Japan, founded by Soga no Umako.
There was a public space in the west of Asuka-dera, where Emperor Tenji played "kemari" kickball with Fujiwara-no-Kamatari and planned to assassinate the clan leader Soga no Iruka.

This head mound monument, reportedly made in the Kamakura Period (1285-1333), indicates the mound where
Iruka Soga (蘇我 入鹿, ?-645)'s head was allegedly buried.

He was assassinated by Prince Naka-no-Oe (中大兄皇子), Saeki-no-muraji-komaro (佐伯連子麻呂) and
Kazuragi-no-waka-Inukai-no-muraji-Amita (葛城稚犬養網田) in the presence of the 35th Empress Kogyoku (皇極天皇, 594-661; r.642-645) at the Asuka-Itabuki-no-miya Palace (飛鳥板葺宮), which is called
"Isshi no hen" (乙巳の変; the Murder in the Year of Isshi, Isshi Incident) on June 12, 645.

Empress Kogyoku, deeply shocked at the murder, soon abdicated the throne to
the 36th Emperor Kotoku (孝徳天皇, 596?-654; r.645-554).

The Soga-clan was a very powerful family who took over the reins of government and killed
Shotoku Taishi (聖徳太子)'s son Prince Yamashiro-no-Oe (山背大兄皇子), but they perished in 645 by Prince Naka-no-Oe (中大兄皇子; later Tenji-tenno [天智天皇], 626-678;r.668-671) and Kamatari Nakatomi (中臣鎌足, 614-669), the founder of the Fujiwara clan (藤原氏). It is called "Taika-no-Kaishin" (大化の改新; the Reformation of the Taika Era).


Copyright (c) 2006 Eishiro Ito. All rights reserved.
- source : :Atelier Aterui - with more information !


. kubizuka 首塚 head mounds of Japan .

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Iruka Jinja 入鹿神社 Iruka Shrine
奈良県橿原市小綱町 / Shokocho, Kashihara, Nara

Deities in residence
蘇我入鹿 Soga no Iruka
スサノオ Susanoo (since Meiji)

The main deity is a wooden statue of a seated Iruka:

(replica of the statue)

Around the shrine are many families with the name of Soga 「蘇我」- 「曽我」.
曽我町 Soga town is close by and there is the shrine 宗我都比古神社 Sogatsuhuiko Jinja founded by
蘇我馬子 Soga no Umako, where the Soga clan is venerated.

In the Meiji period, it was thought improper to venerate a human as deity, so Susanoo was enshrined.
The name of the shrine was to be changed to 小綱神社 Koami Jinja, but due to strong protest of all the Soga around, the name IRUKA was kept.
In the compound of the shrine was also a temple, 仏起山普賢寺 Bukkizan Fugen-Ji, where 大日如来 Dainichi Nyorai is venerated. In the Meiji period, the temple was destructed, and the statue of Dainichi Nyorai given to temple 成等山正蓮寺 Shoren-Ji.



Part of the temple named 大日堂 Dainichi Do Hall with the statue remains to our day.


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蘇我蝦夷・入鹿
門脇 禎二

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .


.......................................................................... Aichi 愛知県 ......................................
犬山市 Inuyama


Iruka-ike 入鹿池 Iruka Pond

ryuujin 龍神 Dragon Deity
Once the Dragon Deity of the Iruka Pond turned herself into a young woman and got married to a human.
Once a man named 福富信蔵 Fukutomi Nobuzo had a visitor every night and when their talk was over, she went to the Iruka pond, slipped in as a serpent and then became a dragon. But he could not get her as his wife.

Iruka no Sato 入鹿の里 Hometown of Iruka, at the Iruka Pond


.......................................................................... Nara 奈良県 ......................................


Soga no Iruka's Assassination.

After the beheading, the head of Iruka took off to the sky with a loud roar.
Three villages in Nara prefecture claim to be the place where his head landed.

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橿原市 Kashihara

Soga Iruka no kubi 蘇我入鹿の首 the head of Iruka
When Kamatari beheaded Iruka, his head flew away, an fell down at home near the bridge 橿原市曽我の首落橋.
The house nearby was called おって屋 Otte-ya.


source : kashikoken-yushikai.org/index

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桜井市 Sakurai

Soga Iruka no kubi 蘇我入鹿の首 the head of Iruka
Near the shrine 多武峰談山神社 Tanzan Jinja there is a huge rock where Iruka hid. But he was found by Kamatari and beheaded.


The head then took off with a roar. and fell down at 談上ヶ森 / 談所ヶ森 Tanjo no Mori.
On that night there was a great storm in the region.

. Tanzan Jinja 談山神社 Tanzan Shrine .
多武峯社 Tōnomine Shrine
and Fujiwara no Kamatari 藤原釜足

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高市郡 Takaichi district 明日香村 Asukamura

Soga Iruka no kubi 蘇我入鹿の首 the head of Iruka
When Kamatari beheaded Iruka, his head flew away with a loud roar. The head then begun to pursue Kamatari, who run away, passed Tonomine and run all the way to Asukamura, to the shrine 気都和既神社 Kitsuwaki Jinja. There Kamatari thought "The head will not find me here and not come here " (ここまでくれば、もうこぬ moo kone), and sat down on a rock in the forest which is now called
moo kon no mori もうこんの森 / "もうこの森" "The forest where he will not come", Moko Grove .
The head of Iruka then took off to the border of Ise, to 高見山 Takamiyama.



鎌足の腰掛石 The Rock where Kamatari rested




気都和既神社 Kitsuwaki Jinja
Nara-ken, Takaichi-gun, Asuka-mura, Kamura, 172


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -


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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

秋の蛇蘇我入鹿の野心もて
aki no hebi Soga Iruka no yashin mote

this snake in autumn
seems to be just as ambitions as
Soga Iruka

小林貴子 Kobayashi Takako

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入鹿池半分涸れてゐて碧し
Iruka-ike hanbun karete ite midori shi

the Iruka pond
is half dried out
and still so green

神谷定女 Kamiya Teijo



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Ichijo Tenno

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. ABC List of Heian Contents .
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Ichijō-tennō, Ichijoo Tennoo 一条天皇 Emperor Ichijo
Emperor Ichijyo

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Emperor Ichijō 一条天皇 Ichijō-tennō, 
(July 15, 980 – July 25, 1011) was the 66th emperor of Japan,
according to the traditional order of succession.



Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 986 to 1011.

Before he ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina) was Kanehito-shinnō.
Kanehito-shinnō was the first son of Emperor En'yū and Fujiwara no Senshi, a daughter of Fujiwara no Kaneie. Since there are no documented siblings, it is supposed that he was an only child.
Ichijō had five Empresses or Imperial consorts and five Imperial sons and daughters.
His reign coincided with the culmination of Heian period culture and the apex of the power of the Fujiwara clan.
In 984,
he was appointed as crown prince under 花山天皇 Emperor Kazan. It was rumored contemporarily that his maternal grandfather Kaneie plotted to have Kazan retire from the throne.
Ichijō ascended the throne at the age of six.
.....
Ichijō had two empress consorts. First was Teishi (or Fujiwara no Sadako), a daughter of Fujiwara no Michitaka, second was Shōshi (or Akiko), a daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, a younger brother of Michitaka. Most people thought it impossible to have two empress consorts, but Michinaga claimed that the empress held two separate titles, Chūgū and Kōgō, which were different in principle and could therefore given to two different women.
The courts of both empresses were known as centers of culture.
Sei Shōnagon, author of The Pillow Book, was a lady in waiting to Teishi. Murasaki Shikibu was a lady in waiting to Shoshi. There were other famous poets in the courts of the empresses.
Ichijō loved literature and music.
For this reason, high ranked courtiers felt the necessity for their daughter to hold cultural salons with many skillful lady poets. Particularly he was fond of the flute. Ichijō was known for his temperate character and was beloved by his subjects.
.....
Ichijō is buried amongst the "Seven Imperial Tombs" at 竜安寺 Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto. The mound which commemorates the Emperor Ichijō is today named 衣笠山Kinugasa-yama. The emperor's burial place would have been quite humble in the period after Ichijo died.
.....
The years of Ichijō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.
Eien 永延 (987–988)
Eiso 永祚 (988–990)
Shōryaku 正暦 (990–995)
Chōtoku 長徳 (995–999)
Chōhō 長保 (999–1004)
Kankō 寛弘 (1004–1012)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. 瑠璃山 Rurizan 正光院 Temple Shoko-In .
港区元麻布3-2-20 / 3 Chome-2-20 Motoazabu, Minato ward, Tokyo

The main statue of this temple is
Koyasu Yakushi 子安薬師 Yakushi Nyorai to protect children

The statue was made by 恵心僧都 源信 Eshin Sozu Genshin in the middle Heian period, carved at the birth of 一条天皇 Ichijo Tenno with prayers for the baby to grow up healthy. This wooden statue was lost in WWII, the present statue is a gift from Mount Koyasan.

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. Tsubosakadera 壷阪寺 .



This Temple is the sixth of 33 scared place of Kannon in the West of Japan and the principal image Juichmen Kanzeon Bosatsu (Eleven-faced Goddess of Mercy) enshrined in the Temple has been extensively worshipped as the goddess marvelously responsive to eye diseases.
Emperors Gensho, Ichijo and Kanmu and man other famous historical persons prayed for the recovery from their eye diseases.


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. Kani Yakushi 蟹薬師 "Crab Yakushi" .
大寺山願興寺 Daiji San, Ganko-Ji // Mitake no Kani Yakushi 御嵩の蟹薬師

closely related to the emperor Ichijoo Tennoo 一条天皇 Ichijo Tenno, when the annual festival 蟹薬師祭礼 started.

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. Shiba Daijinguu 芝大神宮 Shiba Daijingu .

Founded in 1005, by the Emperor Ichijoo Tennoo 一条天皇 Ichijo Tenno.

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----- A legend about this Tenno:

He was maybe the first "pet lover" in documented history.


source : ntt-card.com/trace

He had a cat which he loved very much. One day a dog chased the cat, so he banned the dog for a while from his view. Even when the dog was allowed to come back, he was so afraid of his master that he did not eat a thing.
Therefore the Tenno pardoned him explicitly and took him in his lap again. The happy dog soon begun to eat again.

. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

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Emperor Ichijo 一条天皇 (Ichijou tennou)
Emperor Ichijô was an emperor of the Heian period, perhaps most well-known as being the reigning emperor during the composition of the Tale of Genji and Murasaki nikki by Murasaki Shikibu, and of The Pillow Book by Sei Shônagon. It was in Ichijô's court that much of the events related or referenced in these works took place.
A son of Emperor En'yû,
born in the Sanjô Palace and largely raised there by his grandfather Fujiwara no Kaneie, he succeeded to the throne upon the abdication of his uncle Emperor Kazan on 986/6/23. His accession ceremony was held on 7/22 that year. Ichijô's grandfather Fujiwara no Kaneie served as sesshô (regent for an emperor in his minority) from 986 until 990, and very briefly as kanpaku (regent for an adult emperor) following Ichijô's genpuku (coming of age) that year at the age of ten. Later that same year (990), Fujiwara no Michitaka took over as regent, holding the title of sesshô until 993 and then that of kanpaku until 995. Finally, Fujiwara no Michikane served as kanpaku briefly in 995.
He took Fujiwara no Akiko, a daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, as his First Empress; she came to be known as Empress Shôshi. In 1000, he promoted Fujiwara no Sadako, also known as Empress Teishi, to First Empress, demoting Shôshi to Second Empress and creating considerable factional tension within the palace. As Murasaki Shikibu served Shôshi and Sei Shônagon served Teishi, this event contributed to rivalries between the two women which appear in their writings.
Ichijô abdicated the throne on 1011/6/13
in favor of his cousin, a son of Emperor Reizei, who took the throne as Emperor Sanjô. Ichijô then formally took the tonsure and entered retirement on 6/19, but died several days later on 1011/6/22.
One of his sons would later succeed Emperor Sanjô as Emperor Go-Ichijô.
- source : wiki.samurai-archives.com/ -

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MUSIC AND RELIGION IN JAPAN
In the reign of the Emperor Ichijyo (r. 986–1011),
mikagura was performed in the Naishidokoro (Kashikodokoro) Palace to the accompaniment of kagurabue (a bamboo transverse flute), hichiriki (a double-reed pipe), and wagon.
- source : 2005 Thomson Gale -

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. Sei Shōnagon 清少納言 Sei Shonagon .

. Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部 .

. Japanese History / The Middle Heian Period .

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一条天皇 (人物叢書) bu 倉本一宏

- Reference - 一条天皇 -

- Reference - Emperor Ichijo -
Emperor Go-Ichijō was the 68th emperor of Japan

- Reference - Emperor Ichijyo -
Abeno Seimei Shrine was reportedly built by the 66th Emperor Ichijyo in 1007.
There was a very clever girl who was a daughter of Emperor Ichijyo.
Ichijyo Modoribashi

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. Legends - Heian Period (794 to 1185) - Introduction .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

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koi carp legends

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koi 鯉 と伝説 Legends about carps - Karpfen

koi, the carp　 鯉 - - koi, the love　恋 - - koi, come here　来い

. The Carp in Japanese Culture - Introduction .

. Koi 鯉 carp and fish as folk toys .

. higoi 緋鯉 / ヒゴイ Legends about the Red Carp .

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Oniwakamaru driving out a Koi fish monster - 鬼若丸の鯉退治


岩窪初五 Iwakubo Hatsugoro

igyoojin oniwakamaru 異形人おに若丸 The Monstrous Oniwakamaru
- reference : Igyoujin Oniwakamaru - Manga 漫画作品 -

Musashibo Benkei was called Oniwakamaru - "demon child, ogre child" in his youth.
His mother was pregnant for 18 months with him and when the baby was born, it has already hair and teeth.
He was so strong he could fight against 200 men and win.
Since he was such a problem, he was given to Western Part of the mountain monestary at Hieizan 比叡山西塔. At that time he was called 西塔鬼若丸 "Saito Oniwakamaru".

. Musashibo Benkei 武蔵坊弁慶 .
and more clay dolls of Oniwakamaru with the carp


CLICK for more photos !
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi


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Koi are a legendary fish. Graceful, vibrant, and one of the most recognizable fish in the world, koi are well-loved and respected. Often associated with Japan, koi actually originated from Central Asia in China. They were introduced to Japan by Chinese invaders.

- - - Waterfall Legend
- - - Symbolism and Meaning
Koi fish are also symbolized according to their coloration.. . .
- source : koi-fish-meaning-and-myth-

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


.......................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県 ......................................

. Hidari Jingoroo 左甚五郎 Hidari Jingoro - master carver .
The carp at the main hall of the shrine 久津八幡宮 Kuzu Hachimangu ....




.......................................................................... Kyoto 京都府 ......................................
亀岡市 Kameoka city 大井町 Oi town

. shinshi 神使 messenger of god, divine messenger .
At 丹波国並河村 the village Namikawa in the old Tanba province the messenger of the deity Koi Daimyojin 鯉大明神 is koi 鯉 the carp. Every month he comes downriver of the 大堰川 Oigawa to be the messenger of 松尾明神 Matsuo Myojin. The parishioners of this Shinto shrine never eat carp. If they try, they get painful swellings in the mouth.




.......................................................................... Mie 三重県 ......................................
久居市 Hisai town 榊原村 Sakakibara

hazekoi はぜ鯉 sanshouo 山椒魚 Salamander
A villager caught a huge carp, but the animal had legs and fas in fact a salamander. It is called "hazekoi". After he caught this animal, suddenly the water supply of the village became less and less. It was the curse of the Salamander.
Now people never catch any salamander and pray at the local shrine for its well-being.
And the greatful salamander now shape-shifts into real carp every year to grant them a good fishing harvest.

. sanshoouo, sanshoo uo 山椒魚 salamander .




.......................................................................... Tochigi 栃木県 ......................................
小山市 Oyama

In the year 1028 a person named 角田将監 Kakuda Shogen was hit by a huge typhoon. The big 大榎 huckberry tree in his garden had fallen down, so be begun to dig a well in this place. After a short while, clear water welled up from the ground and a huge higoi 緋鯉 golden red carp showed up. This was an auspicious sign. When the village headman 持田 Mochida went to Tokyo to report the event.
奇瑞と言って、神主の持田某と京都に上ったところ、時の天皇に禁鯉宮の勅額を賜ったうえ井戸を掘ることと鯉の合火を禁じられた。後に生活に困難を来したために禁制は解かれたが、氏子は今でも鯉を神聖視している。




.......................................................................... Yamagata 山形県 ......................................
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米沢市 Yonezawa city

. korori no yuurei コロリの幽霊 the ghost of cholera .



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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
85 to explore (04)

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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Komuso legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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komusoo 虚無僧　伝説 Komuso legends about begging mendikant monks

. Komuso and the Shakuhachi Flute 尺八 .
- Introduction -


Isoda Koryūsai　磯田湖竜斎　 (1735–1790)
Komuso and Beauties

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The komusō (虚無僧 komusō, hiragana: こむそう; also romanized komusou or komuso)
"monks of nothingness"
were a group of Japanese mendicant monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism who flourished during the Edo period of 1600-1868. Komusō were characterized by a straw bascinet (a sedge or reed hood named a tengai or tengui) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego.
They were also known for playing solo pieces on the shakuhachi (a type of Japanese bamboo flute). These pieces, called honkyoku ("original pieces"), were played during a meditative practice called suizen, for alms, as a method of attaining enlightenment, and as a healing modality. The Japanese government introduced reforms after the Edo period, abolishing the Fuke sect. Records of the musical repertoire survived, and are being revived in the 21st century.



They wore a straw basket (tengai　天蓋) that covered their head as they played. Because some of these komuso were in fact spies for the government,
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. どんころ独楽 Donkoro spinning top for gambling .
with a Komuso image on one side

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Komuso Dolls - click for more !

mamako no utae 継子の訴え complaint of a stepchild
While the father had to go on a trip, his two children were killed by the stepmother. A Komuso buried the two children, made a Shakuhachi from the bamboo near the grave and blew it. The sound reached the ears of the father and he returned as fast as he could. He recovered the bodies from the grave and put the stepmother to trial and punishment.
This is the origin of the Shakuhachi melody called
「継子と笛」「継子と鳥」.
- reference : blogs.yahoo.co.jp/therinmeis1979 -

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shakuhachihebi 尺八蛇 Shakuhachi Serpent
tsuchi no hebi 槌の蛇 "hammer snake"


source : nazo108.sblo.jp/article

. nozuchi 野槌 tsuchinoko ツチノコ / 槌の子 "hammerspawn" snake .
- Introduction -

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source and more komuso monsters : togetter.com/li

お猪口が變化した小さな虚無僧のような姿をした妖怪
little Toad monster wearing a 猪口 Sake cup as Komuso hat.

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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures - Komuso and Shakuhachi legends:

........................................................... Kagawa 香川県 .............................................................

yumemi 夢見 seeing a dream
Once a man was on the pilgrimage to Konpira san in Shikoku 金毘羅参り. On the way he saw a bamboo shoot coming out and growing big right in front of his eyes. So he cut the bamboo and made a Shakuhachi out of it. When he blew it, the melody sounded like:

笛も太鼓もいらんぞ、ととさま恋しや
I need no flute or drum, I long for my daddy!

When the man returned home - - - you know the tragic end from the story above.
Therefore in Kagawa it is a bad omen to see a large bamboo shoot in a dream.

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source : geocities.jp/shaku8tm/komusou

虚無僧人形 hand-made bamboo dolls - click for more !


........................................................... Kochi 高知県 .............................................................
安芸郡和食村 Aki district / Tosa 土佐

warai onna 笑い女 the laughing woman
In the hamlet of Wajiki there lived a man deep in the mountains and blew his Shakuhachi every night in front of his hut. One day a beautiful woman came up and asked him to play the Shakuhachi for her. She said her name was "Laughing Woman".
The man smiled and told her he would play a tune to make her laugh.
Her laugh became louder and louder as he blew his Shakuhachi and was heard all over the mountain.
Now the man became angry and trew his ax and hammer at her, but the woman just picked them up and ate them with good appetite.
When the man did not know what to do any more now, suddenly the sound of a rooster came up from the valley and the "Laughing Woman" disappeared.
But the voice of the rooster did not come from an animal, but from an amulet that was hanging at the breast of the man to protect him.
This is a dangerous Yokai, because if you begin to laugh with her, you will be eaten by her.

. warai onna 笑い女 the laughing woman .
and more about 土佐の妖怪 Yokai Monsters from Tosa


........................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県 .............................................................

kani no hi 蟹の火 the light of a crab
Once a Komuso walked in the mountains, when a green-whitish light came nearer. The Komuso questioned it and found out it was a malicious crab. So he hit the crab with his Shakuhachi and killed it.
This is why the local crabs (gazami ガザミ) in the Amakusa region 天草地方 to our day have a scar on the back of their shell.


source : amakoma.sakura.ne.jp/diary

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The sad story of the stepchildren is also told. In this version, the father was visiting Kyoto.
The stepmother killed the children by boiling them in a huge chauldron.

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Komuso Kappa 虚無僧河童


- at yahoo auctions -

. 河童 / かっぱ / カッパ - Kappa, the Water Goblin of Japan! .


........................................................... Kyoto 京都府 .............................................................

kosha 瞽者 a blind person
A blind man named Joomatsu 城松 Jomatsu had very keen ears and was quite skillful in playing the Shakuhachi. When he played toward a waterfall, the sound of the waterfall was not heard any more. One day in the early Edo period, in the morning suddenly there was a stange sound of wind and waves when he played.
And that evening, a strong earthquake hit the region.


........................................................... Osaka 大阪 .............................................................

yookai 妖怪 monster
In the year 1774 in October every day there walked a Samurai from Osaka in the area of Mount Sanadayama 真田山. Many could hear him but not see him. Once a Komuso and a villager walked together and the villager realized that the Komuso was in fact a Yokai monster. So he decided to kill him but could not see him any more. He must have fled in fear.


........................................................... Tochigi 栃木県 .............................................................
宇都宮市 Utsunomiya

daija 大蛇 large serpent
In the beginning of the Meiji period there lived a craftsman who made Chinese lutes (gekkin 月琴). He used the skin of serpents to cover the body.
One evening he was sitting in front of his shop, playing the Shakuhachi. He saw a large serpent coming down the hill and winding itself around his flute. The man soon killed the serpent, but he became ill and died soon afterwards.


........................................................... Yamanashi　山梨県 .............................................................

somabito 杣人 forest worker
When the forest workers go to the mountain forest for work, they take along a person skilled in 尺八 Shakuhachi playing. They start after he has performed one melody.
This is because the 天狗 Tengu, who is the 山の神 "Deity of the Mountain", liked to hear Shakuhachi.


source : fuwaiin.com/kenendou/hougaku - 正和会

尺八合同競演会(天狗会)


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース - 虚無僧
11 尺八 (01)

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source : jxkura007.exblog.jp - 尺八　よもやま話

kooun ryuusui 行雲流水 "wandering monk", Unsui
"To drift like clouds and flow like water"

. unsui 雲水と伝説 Legends about itinerant monks .

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虚無僧の二人つれだつ雲の峰
komusoo no futaritsuredatsu kumo no mine

two Komuso
wandering along -
billowing clouds

Izumi Kyooka 泉鏡花 Izumi Kyoka

. kumo no mine 雲の峰 billowing clouds .
kigo for summer

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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Kamakura Gongoro

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Legends - Heian Period (794 to 1185) - Introduction .
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Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa 鎌倉権五郎景政 Legends
(born 1069)
鎌倉景正 Kamakura Kagemasa / 平景正 Taira no Kagemasa / Kagemasa 景政



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Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa 鎌倉権五郎景政 (born 1069)
a samurai descended from the Taira clan, who fought for the Minamoto clan in the Gosannen War of Japan's Heian period. He is famous for having continued to fight after losing an eye in battle during that war. This was in 1085, when Kagemasa was sixteen years of age.

The progenitor of the Nagae and Kagawa clans, Kagemasa is also claimed as an ancestor by Oba Kagechika, a famous figure of the Genpei War (1180–1185). The family name "Kamakura" comes from his family's residence in the city of Kamakura (in today's Kanagawa prefecture), where his father was a powerful official. The exact identity of his father is unclear, but most scholars cite either 平景成 Taira no Kagenari or 平景通 Taira no Kagetōri as likely names.

Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa is the hero of the kabuki play Shibaraku, one of the most widely-recognized of all kabuki roles and one most associated with the form among those with only a cursory knowledge of the form. Kagemasa is represented in the play with bold red and white face makeup, and a massive costume with huge sleeves, often bearing the crest of the actor Ichikawa Danjūrō.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Gosannen no Eki 後三年の役 （1083年 - 1087年）



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The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, gosannen kassen), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū.
The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power within the warrior clans of the time.
The Gosannen kassen
arose because of a series of quarrels within the Kiyohara clan (sometimes referred to as "Kiyowara"). The long-standing disturbances were intractable. When Minamoto no Yoshiie, who became Governor of Mutsu province in 1083, tried to calm the fighting which continued between Kiyohara no Masahira, Iehira, and Narihira.
Negotiations were not successful; and so Yoshiie used his own forces to stop the fighting. He was helped by Fujiwara no Kiyohira. In the end, Iehira and Narihira were killed.
During the Siege of Kanezawa,
1086-1089, Yoshiie avoided an ambush by noticing a flock of birds take flight from a forest.
Much of the war is depicted in an e-maki narrative handscroll, the 後三年合戦　絵巻　Gosannen Kassen E-maki, which was created in 1171. The artwork is owned today by the Watanabe Museum in Tottori city, Japan.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Shibaraku (暫 / しばらく) "Stop a Moment!"
is among the most popular pieces in the Kabuki repertoire, and one of the celebrated Kabuki Jūhachiban (Eighteen Great Plays)



The plot centers around the figure of Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa, who has become the stereotypical bombastic hero of the kabuki stage, with red-and-white striped makeup and strong, energetic movement. The historical Kamakura Kagemasa is famous for his bravery for having continued to fight after losing an eye in battle in the Gosannen War (1083-1087).
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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"Shibaraku"
Kiyohara Takehira has ordered his retainers to kill people who will not obey his orders. Kamakura Gongoro appears with the shout "Shibaraku" (Wait a minute!) and rescues these people.
In Edo Kabuki, actors made annual contracts with theaters. The performance in November, celebrating the opening of the new contract year, was called Kaomise (face-showing) and was the most important annual event. It introduced the actors who were members of the company. For the Kaomise, it was customary to create a scene such as this in which all major actors were on stage together, and to include a character with a strong sense of justice who appeared on stage after shouting, "Shibaraku" and saved innocent people who were in imminent danger of being killed by evil men.

Among various works performed for Kaomise, this scene was performed many times, and was gradually refined until fixed dramatic techniques were established. In the Meiji period, this "Shibaraku" scene began to be performed as an independent act, as it is today. "Shibaraku" allows audiences to enjoy stylized dramatic techniques rather than the story of a play.
The hero of this play performs in the Aragoto style, the specialty of each Ichikawa Danjuro generation. Therefore, "Shibaraku" is included as one of the Kabuki-juhachiban (18 best plays), the collection of plays established as "Ie no gei" (specially chosen repertoire for the actor's family) of the Danjuro family.


Kamakura Gongoro wears the type of wig called Kurumabin to which Chikara-gami ornaments made of washi (Japanese paper) are attached, with the type of Kumadori makeup called "Sujiguma" and a costume called suo with enormous sleeves showing the mimasu [3 nested square rice measures], the Ichikawa Danjuro family crest. These are all designed to make Gongoro appear large and strong.
Tsurane
The long speech spoken without a break by Gongoro on the Hanamichi is called Tsurane. This allows the audience to hear the actor's elocution, one of the arts of Aragoto. Basically, the content of this speech, in which many puns are included, is changed for each production.
Keshogoe
When Gongoro has moved from the Hanamichi to the Hombutai (main stage) and is removing the top layer of his costume, voices on stage shout "A-rya, ko-rya" repeatedly, and other voices shout "Dekkee" synchronized with Gongoro's Mie (poses). These voices, called Keshogoe, are praising the Aragoto actors. Keshogoe shouts also praise Soga Goro in "Kotobuki soga no taimen."
- source : ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki -


. Kabuki and Narita San Ichikawa Danjūrō .

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Takizawa Bakin 滝沢馬琴 七不思議，妖怪

nana fushigi 七不思議 seven wonders of Edo
from the year 1789 - 寛政11年 夏江戸の七不思議。
雷獣を捕えた。女が卵を生んだ。子児が桶で水死した。和睦の後に刀傷におよんだ。三日月井戸の争論が３日に和睦した。匹の牝犬に２匹の牡犬が交尾していた。

鎌倉権五郎景政を祭った社に参詣したら目がつぶれた。
If someone visited a shrine dedicated to Kamakura Gongoro, his one eye would be lost.
(Maybe this is the Shrine in Kamakura.)

. Edo Nana Fushigi 江戸七不思議 The Seven Wonders of Edo　 .


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.................................................................. Akita　秋田　 ....................................................................
Yokote 横手市 金澤町

ugui 石斑魚 Japanese dace
At the shrine 金澤八幡神社 Kanezawa Hachimangu in Yawata-119 Yawata, Yokote, Akita
there were 土鈴 clay bells with a Japanese dace with only one eye and 土偶 small clay statues of Kamakura Gongoro.
Gongoro lost his right eye by a hit with an arrow during the siege and 後三年の役 "Later three year's war" of Kanezawa (around 1086 - 89). Gongoro was just 16 years at that time.
He pulled out the arrow at the river 厨川 Kuriyagawa and washed his wound there, thus polluting the river. Now the fish in the river have only one eye.
The clay figures and bells depict him and 石斑魚の土鈴 the Ugui river fish with only one eye.
(It may have been a kajika 鰍 bullhead fish, fam Psychrolutidae.)

. ugui 石斑魚 Japanese dace .

Fish in the rivers coming from 鳥海山 Mount Chokai-San all have only one eye (sugameuo 眇魚) .
Here again is the legend of Kamakura Gongoro having washed his eye after being shot.



............................................................. Fukushima 福島県　 ...............................................................
南矢野目 Minami Yanome

mekko shimizu 半盲清水 clear well with one-eyed fish
Because Gongoro washed his wounded eye here in the "clear water".
- reference and photos : MASAの道中日記 -


.................................................................. Ibaragi 茨城県　 ....................................................................
牛久町 Ushiku machi

Gongoro no Onnen 鎌倉権五郎の怨念
奥州征伐に向かった鎌倉権五郎が、非業の最期を遂げた場所だとされている。この地に果てた権五郎の怨念で、附近の土地を作ると目患をする。病人が出ると言って恐れられていた。


.................................................................. Iwate 岩手県　 ....................................................................
Morioka, 厨川 Kuriyagawa

katame no sakana 片目の魚，メッコ鰍 fish with one eye
The kajika 鰍 bullhead fish in the river Kuriyagawa have only one eye.
This is because Gongoro washed his wounded eye in the river.


.................................................................. Mie 三重県　 ....................................................................
鈴鹿市 and 津市 Suzuka and Tsu

mearai ike, me-arai ike 眼洗池 pond where he washed his eye
The turtles and fish in this pond have all only one eye.
Gongoro had a stronghold there and washed his wounded eye in the pond.


.................................................................. Miyagi 宮城県　 ....................................................................
亘理町 Watari

kataha no ashi, kataba no ashi 片葉の芦 One-sided Reed
Kamakura Kagemasa was had a wounded eye by an arrow and wanted to wash in a pond. When some reeds disturbed him, he cut them down and they turned to become one-sided reeds.
This legend is told in many other ponds of Japan:

宮城郡利府町神谷沢 鏡ヶ池 Miyagi, Rifu, Kamiyazawa
仙台市南町裏の池、仙台市片平丁西側牢屋敷隣りの池、白石市柳町角田街道沿道田の中の池、白石市越河亀井清水、多賀城市市川鴻ノ池、黒川郡富谷町志戸田行 神社御手洗池、石巻市真野萱原長谷寺の池、栗原郡金成町姉歯赤坂岩蔵寺堤、白石市葭ヶ池、柴田郡柴田町船迫清水、栗原郡高清水町勾当山。

katame no buna 片目の鮒 crucian carp with one eye
In the river Nikkawagawa 新川川 Gongoro washed his wounded eye.


. buna densetsu 鮒 伝説　crucian carp - kigo and legends .


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -

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. Persons of the Heian Period (794 to 1185) 平安時代 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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景政が片目をひろふ田螺かな
Kagemasa ga katame o hirou tanishi kana

Kagemasa
picks up a mud snail
with one eye . . .

. Kikaku Takarai Kikaku 宝井其角 .
榎本其角 Enomoto Kikaku (1661-1707)

Goryoo Jinja 御霊神社 Goryo Jinja
3-17 Sakanoshita, Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kagemasa is the deity in residence.

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The Shrine is dedicated to the soul of an extraordinarily brave samurai with great physical strength who had lived here before the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). His name is Kagemasa (Gongoro) Kamakura (1069-?), thereby local people call the Shrine " Gongoro-san". .

At the age of 16, he joined a battle at a southern part of Akita Prefecture as a retainer of Yoshiie Minamoto (1039-1106, great-grandfather of Yoritomo Minamoto, the founder of Kamakura Shogunate). During the bitter battle, his left eye was shot by an enemy's arrow. Undaunted, he bravely continued fighting. When he came back to the camp, the arrow was still in his eye. His colleague tried to help remove it putting his foot on Kagemasa's forehead. Kagemasa got furious and accused the colleague of his rude manner. Samurai were full of pride and self-respect those days, and the face being stepped on by foot meant to break the samurai code and was never bearable for Kagemasa. The colleague apologized for his rudeness and the arrow was eventually pulled out in proper manner. To commemorate this episode, a pair of fletchings were employed as the crest of the Shrine and they appear on the tiles of roof. Kagemasa's prowess and manner were highly praised as a role model of Kanto samurai. Hence the Shrine is credited by the locals with its power of healing eye diseases. Also to praise his braveness, a Jizo statue named Yagara (arrow) was made and had been enshrined at Engakuji. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the 1923 earthquake. Today, a stone monument for this statue stands at Keisho-an of Engakuji and is listed 14th of the Kamakura Twenty-Four Jizo Pilgrimage.



In the Shrine's ground, there are a pair of round stones which are dubbed Tamoto-ishi or a "sleeve stone" and Tedama-ishi or a "stone in one's hand". Legend has it that the larger stone (left) weighing 105 kilograms was in Kagemasa's sleeve-pocket and the smaller one weighing 60 kilograms was in his palm as if they had been his toys. The stones are to show he was a man of muscle.

There are quite a few Jinja named Goryo in Japan. Go is a prefixal honorific and ryo means souls. According to Shinto dogma, those who died an unnatural death, died by violence or in a state of anger or resentment need to be buried with courtesy and reverence, and their souls should be enshrined. Otherwise, it is believed, people will incur divine wrath and punishment, or revenge will be exacted by the malevolent spirits of the dead. Goryo Jinja were thus erected throughout Japan to exorcise evil spirits, and special services are performed regularly to soothe the revengeful spirits. In the Shrine, wooden statues of Kagemasa and his wife are enthroned on the altar, but they are not visible. As usual in Shinto shrines, only a round mirror is placed in the center.
- source : kamakuratoday.com/e -


. tanishi 田螺 paddie snails, mud snails .


. 御霊神社 Goryo Jinja Shrines in Japan .

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source : kamakuratoday.com/suki/mochida


- - - - - There is a saying about Kagemasa

景政の目玉田螺も力餅
Kagemasa no medama tanishi mo chikaramochi

tanishi 田螺 / タニシ mud snails are said to be a medicine for eye disease. In their form they look almost like an eyeball.

There is alos a deity 片目の生砂神 for lost eyes.
- reference : www.geocities.jp/kasaamiryou/topix4/... pdf file -
(More to be explored.)




- quote -
You will find an old stone guidepost engraved　"Goryo Shrine Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa" in front and "Road bound for Hasedera Temple" on the side. Actually, this place has been a very important cross roads from Enoshima and Hase since Kamakura era or maybe more ancient times.

Mochiya Kichibei, the founder of CHIKARAMOCHI YA, opened his store right behind the guidepost. It is a story of 300 years ago.

- - - - - Chikaramochi and Kamakura Samurai history
A Kamakura Samurai named Gongoro Kagemasa became famous for his brave actions and success in the battles of 1083-1087 at TOHOKU (the northern region of Japan). He was just 16 years old at that time but already very strong. When his troops returned in triumph they began the contest of strength using 60-kilo, 100-kilo stones here at Sakanoshita. They all admired Gongoro's strength.

Later who knows when, these stones were placed at Goryo shrine and the rice cakes were put on the stones for offering to Gongoro. Those cakes were also delivered to the worshipers and came to be called Gongoro's CHIKARAMOCHI.

Long later but still long time ago, our ancestor started making the house-brand cake named CHIKARAMOCHI so that people would keep in mind the brave samurai, Gongoro Kagemasa for the future. 　(Those stones are exhibited at Goryo shrine even now.)

Times had changed into the modern age and the MEIJI government regulated the license for handling the sweet products at stores. CHIKARAMOCHI YA took it in 1885. ......long time has passed...... Now we enjoy the local activities, for example, Goryo festival together with many people and shops such as Mitome store who is also a very long established store here.
18-18 Sakanoshita, Kamakura City,
- source : chikaramochi-ya-en.com -


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bikuni Buddhist nun legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
- ningyo 人魚 human fish - see below
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bikuni densetsu 比丘尼　伝説　Legends about Buddhist nuns
ama 尼 nun



tako bikuni 蛸比丘尼 the Octopus nun

. bikuni 比丘尼 Buddhist Nuns .
- Introduction -
- - - - - including
heoi bikuni, he-oi bikuni 屁負比丘尼 / 屁負比丘 fart-pretending nuns
uta bikuni 歌比丘尼 singing nun
bikuni 比丘尼　prostitutes clad as nuns in Edo
Kumano bikuni 熊野比丘尼 nun from Kumano

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sennen bikuni 千年比丘尼 a young nun for 1000 years
never growing old, because once she ate the meat of a "human-fish"

The "human fish" 人魚 (ningyo) is most probably a Dugong.
Whoever eats its meat will live for 1000 years without changing his/her features.
- source : Dugong dugon -

A young woman eats a piece of fish found in the left-overs of her father, a fisherman.
When she learns about the fact that it was a "human fish" she decides to become a nun to atone for her deed. And then . . .

There are many legends about her in many parts of Japan, after all she lived for 1000 years with the features of a beautiful woman. When she stayed at a temple for a while, people became suspicious of her never-changing beautiful features and eventually she had to leave for another place. Often she planted a walking stick in the temple compound before leaving, which sprouted to live on . . .



Yashima Kameyama 八島亀山 in Okayama 岡山
After the young woman had left her birthplace . . there was a young man from Kameyama, who visited the temple 善光寺 Zenko-Ji in Nagano, where he saw a beautiful nun in the temple and told her about Kameyama、so she became quite homesick. When he went back and told the story to the fishermen in Kameyama they went to the back of Mount Boyama 坊山 and found the remains of her old small temple. There was also an old tree, byakushin ビャクシン / 柏槙 (a kind of mountain juniper) to our day, which had sprouted from her walking stick.
This tree was then found to have a disease infecting the Japanese pear trees nearby and was cut down eventually.

In Asakuchi　浅口, Okayama in the hamlet of 貞見 Sadami
there is another tree that has sprouted from her walking stick. It has sprouted, as she had foretold, "tsue wa ikitsuku made"　杖は活き着くまで. . . and now there is another hamlet with a pun on that nearby :
Tsukuma 津熊 .
The tree that sprouted from her stick was a huge yanagi 大柳 willow tree.
It was so strong and perfect that the tree was cut down and its trunck became a beam for the famous 三十三間堂,　京都 Hall of 1000 Buddha Statues in Kyoto, Sanjusan Gendo.

. Legends about the roof beams for 三十三間堂 Sanjusan Gendo .

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hyakunen bikuni　百年比丘尼 nun for 100 years

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yao bikuni 八百比丘尼（やおびくに）nun for 800 years

- quote -
One of the most famous folk stories concerning ningyo is called
Yao Bikuni (八百比丘尼, "eight-hundred (years) Buddhist priestess") or
ハッピャクビクニ Happyaku Bikuni.

The story tells how a fisherman who lived in Wakasa Province once caught an unusual fish. In all his years fishing, he had never seen anything like it, so he invited his friends over to sample its meat.

One of the guests, however, peeked into the kitchen, noticed that the head of this fish had a human face, and warned the others not to eat it. So when the fisherman finished cooking and offered his guests the ningyo's grilled flesh, they secretly wrapped it in paper and hid it on their persons so that it could be discarded on the way home.

But one man, drunk on sake, forgot to throw the strange fish away. This man had a little daughter, who demanded a present when her father arrived home, and he carelessly gave her the fish. Coming to his senses, the father tried to stop her from eating it, fearing she would be poisoned, but he was too late and she finished it all. But as nothing particularly bad seemed to happen to the girl afterwards, the man did not worry about it for long.

Years passed, and the girl grew up and was married. But after that she did not age any more; she kept the same youthful appearance while her husband grew old and died. After many years of perpetual youth and being widowed again and again, the woman became a nun and wandered through various countries. Finally she returned to her hometown in Wakasa, where she ended her life at an age of 800 years.



ningyo (人魚, "human fish", often translated as "mermaid")
is a fish-like creature from Japanese folklore.
Anciently, it was described with a monkey’s mouth with small teeth like a fish’s, shining golden scales, and a quiet voice like a skylark or a flute. Its flesh is pleasant-tasting, and anyone who eats it will attain remarkable longevity. However, catching a ningyo was believed to bring storms and misfortune, so fishermen who caught these creatures were said to throw them back into the sea. A ningyo washed onto the beach was an omen of war or calamity.
..... gyojin 魚人 fish-man, human fish
- More about ningyo Ningyo (人魚) "human fish" :
- source : wikipedia -

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Yao Bikuni 八百比丘尼（やおびくに）
金川寺 Kinsen-Ji in Fukushima -
喜多方市塩川町金橋字金川
- source : bqspot.com/tohoku/fukushima -

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yao bikuni 八百比丘尼 a nun for 800 years
sometimes called Shiira bikuni シイラ比丘尼 The Nun Shiira from Iwate



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Iwate, 釜石　Kamaishi - and Miyagi 南三陸町 Minami Sanriku

One day a fisherman went fishing near Hiraizumi, when a strange old man living in a cave gave him a strange red fish to eat.
His companion 五郎三郎 Gorosaburo did not eat the fish meat but took it home with him and told everyone not to eat it. His young daughter of 6 years named シイラ Shiira was so tempted to eat this meat, she did not listen to her father's warning and ate it.
After this Shiira never died and lived as a nun for at least 200 years. Now nobody knows where she is.
The old man is said to have been 海尊仙人 Kaison Sennin.

After the death of 平泉の秀衡 Lord Hidehira in Hiraizumi, his retainer Gorosaburo took his life to follow his master, as was the custom of the times.
The wife of Gorosaburo took their young daughter Shiira and hid at 本吉郡の竹島 Takeshima Island in the Motoyoshi district.
The Heavenly Nymph at the Cave of the same name at Takeshima island 竹島の天女洞 refers to the girl Shiira, who lived more than 250 years, always looking like a woman in her forties.


Togura 戸倉 - Takeshima 竹島
Different from the other islands in the inlay, this island is of a soft white rock.

shiira 鱰／鱪 / シイラ is the name of the common dolphin, Coryphaena hippurus.


. Hitachibo Kaison Sennin 常陸坊海尊仙人 .


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.................................................................. Aichi 愛知県 ....................................................................
知多郡 Chita gun 南知多町 Minami Chita

yao bikuni 八百比丘尼 a nun for 800 years

Once upon a time in the Heian period
a young woman ate a piece of meat from a "human fish" . . . and had to live for 800 years as a young beauty.
She walked around in many parts of Japan . . .




.................................................................. Niigata 新潟県 ....................................................................
Sado, 相川町 Aikawa

. happyaku bikuni ハッピャクビクニ and 猿田彦大神 Sarutahiko .




.................................................................. Okinawa 沖縄県 ....................................................................
石垣市 Ishigaki city

. shinshi 神使 messenger of god, divine messenger .
Once three outcasts of the village caught a human fish and wanted to eat it. They did not know it was 神の使い the messenger of the Deity. From the meat came a whisper that there would soon be a Tsunami 津波.
The three apologized and put the human fish back into the sea.
On the 10th day of March, 1771, there was a strong quake and Tsunami and all the houses, except the ones of these three men, were swept away.




.................................................................. Saitama 埼玉県 ....................................................................

. happyaku bikuni 八百比丘尼 / ハッピャクビクニ .
This Bikuni must have lived for more than 1000 years.


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- reference : nichibun yokai database 妖怪データベース -
yokai database - bikuni (54 entries)
血まみれの比丘尼
八百比丘尼
断食の比丘尼 and many more
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -

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manga nihon mukashibanashi database
鏡騒動
耳柿
ドジョウ取り爺さん
八百比丘尼
- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com -

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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話　昔話 - Introduction .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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